Brought a 330ml can home from recent trip to Europe. A big foamy head rose to the top of my class, the color was a clear copper. The smell was definate saaz hops. Clean, crisp taste. Slight sweetness gave way to a bitter after taste. Normal czech beer carbonation. As it tastes so natural you could drink a few of these. Nice czech pils, no suprises but thats not a bad thing. (376 characters)

Draft, St. Petersburg, Russia. A bit more substance after all the Russian lagers Ive been swilling. Good fluffy head that leaves a little lace. Golden pilsener color. A bit of extra sweetness, but the European hop profile makes a valiant effort to balance it.Still, a great pilsner beer smell I could pick up from two feet away made a good first impression on me. (365 characters)

A beautiful classic golden pilsner, marred by the patchy head that forms after the first minute or two. An enjoyable major brew here in Prague, but its taste tends to the annoying once tried--it seems empty, more drinkable than enjoyable. High carbonation and its smooth, light hops make for a distinguishable biting mouthfeel. The aftertaste is thick on the tongue but without bitter, leaving you wanting more but not exciting the palate. After a few moments, a certain sweetness to the aftertaste appears as well.

More complexity would add to it, but its drinkability and smooth bite let it be an excellent accompaniment to bread-based meals. Slightly above average, but unfortunately touted as spectacular. (713 characters)

A: The beer is crystal clear yellow in color; there is a finger high white head that slowly fades away leaving a ring of bubbles around the edge of the glass. No carbonation is visible in the form of rising bubbles.S: There are light to moderate aromas of grassy hops on the nose along with some notes of caramel malts.T: The taste is rather malty and initially has some hints of sweetness, although these quickly fade away and are replaced by a mild amount of bitterness from the hops.M: It feels light- to medium-bodied on the palate and is rather smooth with a slight amount of crispness. A light amount of carbonation is perceptible.D: The beer goes down rather smoothly and is quite sessionable. I could easily drink several of these in one sitting. (758 characters)

Just flown in and found the hotel, wife is ill with a snotty nose and a cough to die for, I'm obviously 'up for it' and wanting to hit the bars and night-life. Compromise required, one bar and a night shop was the best I could negotiate.

Great bar, but snotty nose wasn't having any of it, we had to leave after my third beer or the whole trip would have been put in jeopardy.

The 'Night-Shop' had a crap selection of beers, catering for low-life and tourists with no beer knowledge or taste.

I choose this beer (and a couple more) to ease my pain of an early night.

Sat on my hotel bed, with a wheezing wife ruining the nights silence, I poured the beer into a small tumbler which should have held my toothbrush (five times).

The beer looked good, each little dribble into the tumbler produced a deep golden yellow coloured beer, with a well formed white head. As with almost all lager/pilsners the body was clean, clear and bright. My night was getting better,

The aroma must have been lost in the pouring because I found nothing to write about. The beer gets my standard 3 for odourless pils/lagers.

I found the taste and flavours to be grainy for a pilsner, crisp and tangy. Better than most in this style of beer anyway.

It also had a body and depth unlike so many lager/pilsner beers, nothing huge or really interesting, just heavier than most.

I would obviously prefered to have stayed out, but at least I've reviewed a beer while in Prague, even if it is from notes made while in a hotel room listening to the wife snore and wheeeze. (1,658 characters)

Everyone I asked in Karlovy Vary told me that this beer is the favorite among the locals. Less ubiquitous than it's big brother Urquell, Gambrinus is not too hard to find in western Czech Republic. I brought home a sample in a Czech standard half-liter brown bottle with a gold and white label and gold foil around the neck. The label features a mug, a couple awards, and the lettering. Sugar is an ingredient. Best before 1/3/05, I opened it on 8/14/04. This, by the way, is the "Premium" product. There is also a pale and a light.

Pours a darkish clear gold under a firm two finger white head that fades fairly quickly to thick patchy film and leaves some spots of lace. Sweet grainy malt nose with a twinge of metal-fruit hops. Very highly carbonated and fairly light in the mouth. Open features a good strong malt backbone, slightly sweet and a bit bready. On top of this superstructure the crisp hoppiness quickly establishes itself, building in intensity until the smooth bitter finish. The bite lingers well into the aftertaste. Yup, it's good. (1,055 characters)

Taste is malty with decoction caramel and Maillard products in the taste. The yeast adds a light fruity taste. Strangely enough I pick up hints of custard pudding. Bitterness is medium and drinkability is good. (326 characters)